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BAND MEMBERS PAST AND PRESENT
In doing research for this section, the one thing that really impressed me is how close-knit the folk and jazz community of Western Canada (from Connie's earlier albums) are. It seems that everyone has played or collaborated with everyone else at some point. The same holds true for the folk and jazz community of Eastern and French Canada (from Connie's later albums). They all can command an audience of their own, but I've gotten the sense that they need and use that camaraderie to survive and succeed in their field. And Connie and all the talent she has worked with in the studio over the years are no exception. Below is just a partial list of musicians who have played for Connie's studio bands or somehow were instrumental (no pun intended) in their creation. You'll see how they contributed, and a short bio of their musical careers. As time goes by I hope to add more information, links to artists' sites and photos. Click on a name from the list below to jump to that person's entry on the page, or feel free to just scroll down and browse.
BJARNSON, DAVE BLONDHEIM, GEORGE CAIRNS, CALVIN CAMPAGNE, ALEKSI & GABRIEL CAMPAGNE, ANNETTE CAMPAGNE, CARMEN CAMPAGNE, MICHELLE CAMPAGNE, PAUL COUTURE, DANIEL CREBER, MICHAEL DELORME, GAY DESJARDINS,CLAUDE DUPIRE, MICHEL ECCLESTON,COLLEEN GOSSAGE, THOM GREENSPOON, DANNY LERNER, MARILYN MACEROLLO, JOE MACLEAN, MAIRI MACPHERSON, NORM MATTHEWS, GLEN MITCHELL, GEORGE NEWCOMBE, BRIAN NORDQUIST, CHRIS NORTHFIELD, PAUL OSADCHY, EUGENE PICKELL, DAVID RICHARDSON, KIM STRINGER, ÉMILIE-RACHEL & THOMAS
ADOLPHE, JERRY (percussion on Moonlight Grocery and Out Of The Blue) - won Canada's West Coast Music Association's Percussionist of the Year award, 1987-90; member of the bands The Sample Stearns Band (with Norm MacPherson), Chilliwack, and The Trailer Trash Band; worked with Jo Whitley, Shari Ulrich, Peebo Bryson, Melissa Manchester, Roy Forbes, Spirit Of The West, Seal. AINSLEY, JEAN (percussion on Small Cafe) - active in the Quebec pop scene; member of Zone X; worked with Daniel Lavoie, Gaston Mandeville. ALLEMANO, LUIGI (trombone, trumpet, euphonium, trombone on A Duck In New York City) - as well as he plays brass on "Duck", Luigi's main forte is animation! His films include "A Better Tomorrow Through Technology", "The Magic of Anansi" and the Cannes Film Festival award-winning short, "When The Day Breaks". He has also animated productions for La Montagne Secerete -- perhaps "Duck" could be a future project... AQUINO, LEO (accordion on Out Of The Blue, notably "Singer Of The Sacred Heart") - this Canadian legend is considered to be one of the finest accordion players in the world; has toured internationally including a 1995 performance with Luciano Pavarotti. BELL, STEVE (mandolin on Gentle Of Heart) - has released nine albums of Gospel and Christian rock that has earned him two Junos and two 2003 Vibe Award nominations; played with Carolyn Arends. benedictson, don (bass on Gentle Of Heart, Wood River) - member of the religiously garbed The Ministers Of Cool ("Father Don"); produced and played with Marie-Claude McDonald, Jennifer Berezann, Ferron, The Jacques Lussier band, The Wyrd Sisters, Daniel Koulack; and of course was the duck in New York City from Heather Bishop's album. BJARNASON, DAVE (percussion on One Of These Days) - was member of the band Parlour Snakes; worked with k.d. lang, Amos Garrett. BLONDHEIM, GEORGE (keyboards on One Of These Days) - wrote the score to the 1989 Canadian film "Bye Bye Blues"; most recently performed with Rene Worst and Dave Robbins on "A Little Christmas Jazz". CAIRNS, CALVIN (concertina on One Of These Days; fiddle on Wood River) - most notably of Stringband with Dennis Nichol, Marie-Lynn Hammond, Bob Bossin, Steve Darke and Ben Mink -- the band has performed for over thirty years; founder of his own band, The Romaniacs; worked with John Millard, Humphrey And The Dumptrucks, Don Freed, Ferron, Spirit Of The West, The Bill Hilly Band, Stewart Maclean's Vinyl Cafe Orchestra; with Gina Bastone created "The Suzy and Uncle Joe Family Show" in 1993 -- a traveling comedy / musical act; currently teaches folk fiddling at the Victoria Conservatory of Music in British Columbia. CAMPAGNE, ALEKSI (ukulele and vocals on A Duck In New York City); CAMPAGNE, GABRIEL (vocals on A Duck In New York City) - Paul and Connie's sons have provided background vocals on a number of La Montagne Secrete productions including "Un trésor dans mon jardin." CAMPAGNE, ANNETTE (vocals on Lullaby Berceuse, Gentle Of Heart) - original member of Folle Avoine, started solo career with 1996's "Sauter de haut"; vocals for Heather Bishop, Daniel Lavoie. CAMPAGNE, CARMEN (writer, arranger and performer on Lullaby Berceuse) - the premiere francophone children's singer in Quebec if not Canada, Carmen has been dubbed the "toddler's diva"; has sold over a half-million videos and millions of albums of traditional and original kids' songs; her latest video: "Le Téléfon". CAMPAGNE, MICHELLE (vocals on Lullaby Berceuse, Gentle Of Heart, Wood River and Love Is A Truck; accordion on Love Is A Truck ["Your Love"]) - vocals, songwriting, accordion for Hart Rouge / Folle Avoine; Bob Dylan's 60th birthday tribute (see Campagne, Suzanne); worked with Tüna, Heather Bishop, Daniel Lavoie; co-wrote and performed "Pier 21" tribute with Lennie Gallant, Connie Kaldor and James Keelaghan. CAMPAGNE, PAUL (producer and acoustic guitar on Small Cafe, Love Is A Truck, Vinyl Songbook and A Duck In New York City; bass and vocals on Small Cafe, Love Is A Truck and A Duck In New York City; vocals on Lullaby Berceuse, Gentle Of Heart, Wood River, Out Of The Blue and A Duck In New York City; percussion and ukulele on A Duck In New York City; guitar and percussion for @ Wood River Hall house band) - Connie's partner in marriage for 13 years and music for over 15 years; bass, guitar and vocals for Hart Rouge and it's predecessor Folle Avione, with HR appeared on the Bob Dylan 60th birthday tribute album; produced for Inti-Illimani; worked with David Sereda, Daniel Lavoie; has recently developed and produced children's albums including the "Dodo la planete do" series. CAMPAGNE, SUZANNE (vocals on Lullaby Berceuse, Gentle Of Heart, Wood River, Small Cafe) - vocals and songwriting for Hart Rouge / Folle Avoine; Bob Dylan's 60th birthday tribute ("Dieu a nos cotes", a French version of "With God On Our Side"); worked with Daniel Lavoie. COHEN, BOB (guitar on Small Cafe, Love Is A Truck and A Duck In New York City; mandolin on Small Cafe ["Coyote's Call"] and Love Is A Truck ["Winter"]; bass on Love Is A Truck ["Whistle Gone"]) - has performed with Eva Kanalas, Marcome, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Daniel Lavoie. COUTURE, DANIEL (percussion on Vinyl Songbook) - toured with Hart Rouge; performed with Luce Dufault, Francesca Gagnon, Garou, Gilles Vigneault, Judith Bérard, Luck Mervil, Johanne Blouin, Lili Fatale, Bet E & Steph, Săo. CREBER, MICHAEL (piano on Gentle Of Heart ["Thin Thread"]; keyboards on Out Of The Blue) - arranged musical production of "Shakira"; musical director of 2002 Divas For Life Benefit Concert in Vancouver; worked with Ray Piper and Fantazéa, John Reid, Raffi, Leonard Cohen. CROSS, AL (drums on Gentle Of Heart) - percussion for Big Sugar, Rita Chiarelli, Sarah Hammer, Grit Laskin, The Whitley Brothers, Great Big Sea, Molly Johnson, Chad Mitchell, David Sereda, Ian Tyson, James Keelaghan, Raffi; performed for commercials and the soundtrack to the film "The Sweet Hereafter". CRUICKSHANK, ATLEY (bass on Small Cafe ["What Do They Know"]) - has since worked for the press department for Coyote Productions (hmmmm - I wonder...) DELORME, GAY (guitar on One Of These Days; flamenco guitar on Gentle Of Heart ["If You'd Leave Me Now"]) - performed in the bands Django, The Patriot Band, The Trailer Trash Band; produced for k.d. lang, Jann Arden, Five Sold. DESJARDINS, CLAUDE (percussion on One Of These Days) - played with Stan Rogers on "Northwest Passage" (1981); created score for "Full Disclosure" with Eric Robertson (2001). DONAHUE, DAN (producer, guitar and keyboards on Lullaby Berceuse; co-producer, percussion on Gentle Of Heart) - produced Heather Bishop's "Chickees On The Run" (Juno award); produced and played for Steve Schellenberg, Lisa-Marie Serafin. DUBUC, GUY (piano on Love Is A Truck) - an accomplished jazz pianist, has worked with Kelly Jefferson, Kelsley Grant, Alain Caron, Karen Young, Bet E & Stef Band, Bran Van 3000, Axel Fisch Group and appears on the soundtrack to "Cirque du soleil -- Alegria". DUPIRE, MICHEL (percussion on Love Is A Truck) - percussion for Hart Rouge; worked with Jean Derome, André Duchesne, Les granules; known mostly for his work with drums and rhythmic insruments, Michel is also adept at the vibes and xylophone; studied samba music in Brazil and subsequently created the Montreal-based samba band The Bloco Longe de La. ECCLESTON, COLLEEN (vocals on Out Of The Blue ["Believer"]) - solo albums; vocals for The Ecclestons, Tom Neville. EDWARDS, DOUG (bass on Out Of The Blue) - member of the early 70's band Skylark, The Trailer Trash Band; played for Mark Perry, Nick Gilder, The Poppy Family; for you 80's buffs out there: Doug played bass on "Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone", Glass Tiger's number one (and only) hit song in America. FORBES, ROY (produced, performed original songs, arranged traditional songs, vocal and guitar accompaniment on New Songs For An Old Celebration; produced, guitar and vocals on Wood River, Gentle Of Heart, Out Of The Blue; guitar on Moonlight Grocery; co-wrote and duets on "Love Or Something", "Saskatoon Moon"; co-wrote "Dancing Fool", "I Want A Robot" for Heather Bishop's A Duck In New York City) - Juno nominations for solo albums "Kid Full Of Dreams" (1975), "Crazy Old Moon" (1998); is the"F" in UHF formed in 1995 with Shari Ulrich and Bill Henderson; worked with Cindy Church, Mark Perry, Faith Nolan, Jo Whitley; wrote scores and songs for television (mini-series "Eye Level", Canadian "Sesame Street"); wrote songs for Shawn Colvin, Sylvia Tyson, Tracey Brown, Garnet Rogers, Shari Ulrich, Cindy Church, Matt Minglewood, Valdy, Heather Bishop, Hart Rouge, Norm Foote; produced albums for Susan Crowe, Rod Widdowson; host of CBC radio show "Snap, Crackle, Pop". FOSTER, TOM (percussion on One Of These Days) - musician on George Blondheim's score to "Bye Bye Blues"; currently part of the Kate Hammett-Vaughan Quintet and their most recent album, "How My Heart Sings". GALLANT, DAVY (mandolin, recorder on Small Cafe; guitar on Love Is A Truck and Vinyl Songbook; remastered tracks on Vinyl Songbook; percussion, bass, mandolin, juice harp, dumbek, flute, banjo and harmonica on A Duck In New York City) - versatile musician (guitar, Uillean pipes, bagpipes, flute, recorder, mandolin); member of bands Hart Rouge and Tuna; help produced Lenny Gallant's (no relation) first French language album; his finest role considered by many is that of Jean-Louis on Carmen Campagne's "Je souris" from her album "Enchantée". GOSSAGE, BILL (bass on Small Cafe, Love Is A Truck and Vinyl Songbook; violin on Love Is A Truck ["Never Been To Ireland"]; upright bass and bass guitar for @ Wood River Hall house band) - Connie's trusty touring companion in recent years; member of Celtic bands Tuna and Orealis; worked with Penny Lang, Ray Bonneville Blues Band, Harry Van Walls, Diane Schurr, The Crystals, Linda Morrison, Karen Young, Ellen MacIllwaine, Ya Ya Diallo, Yves Léveillé; frequently seen performing at Hurley's irish Pub in Montreal with Dave and Kirk McGeachy. GOSSAGE, DAVE (flute, penny whistle on Love Is A Truck ["Never Been To Ireland"]) - member of Celtic bands Tuna and Orealis; composed and performed music with brother Bill for puppet/computer animated short "The Hungry Squid". GOSSAGE, THOM (percussion on Love Is A Truck) - member of Celtic band Tuna with brothers Bill and Dave; toured with Canadian national company of "Les Miserables"; founded the band The Bears; performed with jazz artists Liam Callaghan, The Water Of Life, George Mitchell. GREENSPOON, DANNY (guitar on One Of These Days) - played with Stan Rogers on "Northwest Passage" (1981); produced albums for Great Big Sea, Ian Tyson, Spirit Of The West. HAVERS, DARYL (B3 Organ on Gentle Of Heart ["Passion"]) - has co-written and played for Ferron; played for Dave Haddock, Rachel Matkin, The Tiller's Folly, The Wailin' Walker Band, The Stingrays, Raffi. HENDERSON, BILL (guitar on Out Of The Blue; vocals on Wood River and Out Of The Blue [most notably: harmony on "Why Aren't You Here?"]) - member of The Collectors which evolved into Chilliwack; is the "H" in UHF formed in 1995 with Shari Ulrich and Roy Forbes; Producer Of The Year Juno (1982); Best Original Movie Song Juno (1990) for "When I Sing" from "Bye Bye Blues"; musical director for Canadian "Sesame Street" (1989-95); served as president of SOCAN for five years. HIEBERT, RANDY (guitar on Gentle Of Heart) - production work for The Bellamy Brothers; played for Ray St. Germain, The C-Weed Band, The D-Drifters, Harlequin, Kenny Shields, Idol Eyes, Charlie Daniels; formed The Randy Hiebert Band with Davey Stewart, Tim Sutton and Tom Dutiaume. HILL, MILES (bass on Out Of The Blue) - played bass for The Oliver Gannon Quartet, Raffi, Dave Hamel, Connie Scott, Crusoe, Idle Eyes, Mark Hasselbach, Red Red Groovy, Jo Whitley. KEMPF, RANDY (bass on One Of These Days) - played bass for Rita Chiarelli, Amos Garrett, The Small But Dangerous Orchestra, Quartette (Sylvia Tyson, Caitlin Hanford, Cindy Church and Gwen Swick); background vocals for Eve Goldberg's "Ever Brightening Day" (1998). KIDDER, LINDA (backup vocals on Out Of The Blue ["Relax"]) - Canadian Country Music Association's Vocal Collaboration Of The Year award (1992) and Duo Of The Year award (1989-90) with Gary Fjellgaard; harmony vocals for Jo Whitley, Shari Ulrich, k.d. lang. KINAL, BILL (accordion and backup vocals on Small Cafe ["Prairie Moon"]) - helped engineer the Montreal based Ukranian zabava band Zolota Bulava's self-titled album; played with zabava bands Veselka, Samotsvit. LANGIS, MARC (bass on Wood River [most notably, "Wood River" track]) - played bass for Lara Fabian, Celine Dion, Jean-Pierre Ferland, and on the Cirque du soleil soundtracks. LAWRENCE, CLAIRE (produced Moonlight Grocery; cello on Moonlight Grocery ["Wood River"]) - a versatile musician as well as producer, Claire has played the saxophone, keyboards, harmonica and cello for performers such as Idle Eyes, Hometown Band, Chilliwack, The Collectors, Private Lines; produced albums for Nancy King, Sonny Greenwich, Hometown Band. LEONARD, SUE (vocals on New Songs For An Old Celebration, Gentle Of Heart) - member of the Vancouver-based R&B / soul group The Big Dawg Band; backup vocals for Roy Forbes, Bon Jovi, Mark Perry, Guy Delorme, and k.d. lang's "Ingenue" (most notably, "Constant Craving"). LERNER, MARILYN (piano on Lullaby Berceuse) - one of Canada's foremost jazz pianists; worked with Spirits Of Havana, Sonny Greenwich, The Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band; formed The Marilyn Lerner Trio with Andrew Downing and Jean Martin; has performed with many artists on stage incluiding Tito Puente. MACEROLLO, JOE (accordion on Gentle Of Heart ["Love Letters"]) - a founding menber of The International Accordion Society, Joe has played for symphonies and concerts worldwide, including The Three Tenors; worked with Henry Mancini on many of his film scores; played for Bruce Cockburn, The Hannaford Street Silver Band, Quartetto Gelato and appears on the Kurt Weill tribute album, "September Songs". MACLEAN, MAIRI (backup vocals on One Of These Days and Moonlight Grocery) - vocal work with Ross Campbell, Alan Stein; co-produced "Shooting Starts" (see Stein, Alan); is now a prominent journalist for The Edmonton Journal. MACPHERSON, NORM (guitar on Moonlight Grocery, New Songs For An Old Celebration, and Wood River, including a featured solo of "The Christmas Song" on New Songs) - joined the band Skylark in the early 70's; member of The Sample Stearns Band (with Jerry Adolphe) in the mid-late 70's; most recently had been working with Valdy. MATTHEWS, GLEN (percussion on Gentle Of Heart) - played for The Knappen Street All Star Band and Al Simmons. MITCHELL, GEORGE (bass on Small Cafe) - worked with George Evans, Charles Parasoff, Kelsley Grant, Kelly Jefferson, Jocelyn Ménard, The Jefferson-Grant Quintet, Thom Gossage, The Papasoff Trio, The Joe Sullivan Sextet, Karen Young, The Bernard Primeau Jazz Ensemble, Steve Ganz. MOORMAN, JONATHAN (violin on A Duck In New York City) - provided violin for "Dodo la planete do 2"; member of Montreal Celtic band Tüna; music and arrangements for "A Brief Canadian History"; recorded with John McDermott, Beat, Brendan Nolan, Solstice, MacLeod 9; toured with The Mahones; musical director of step-dancing troupe Reel & MacAdam. NASH, NANCY (backup vocals on Moonlight Grocery) - solo album in 1982; backup vocals for Payola$, Touche, Silverlode, The Minglewood Band, Hot Cottage. NEWCOMBE, BRIAN (bass on Moonlight Grocery) - member of the late 60's band The Fox, which evolved into the band Canada in 1972; member of Chilliwack with Bill Henderson and Jerry Adolphe (1984-86); worked with Heart, 98 Degrees, Jessica Simpson, Guy Delorme; performed on stage with Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, Kenny Loggins, Chicago. NORDQUIST, CHRIS (percussion on Wood River) - aka "The Wrist"; nominated for Canadian Blues Drummer Of The Year (1997-2000); worked with Mary Wells, Bo Diddley, The Shirelles, Colin James, Roy Forbes, Mark Perry. NORTHFIELD, PAUL (keyboards on Moonlight Grocery) - member of the bands I Mother Earth, Suicidal Tendencies; production work for the band Rush. OSADCHY, EUGENE (cello on Gentle Of Heart ["Thin Thread']) - born and developed his craft in Russia before arriving in Canada; has played chamber music festivals worldwide; was principal cellist for the CBC Radio Orchestra and assistant principal cellist for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra; composed scores for many motion pictures; currently associate professor of cello at the University of North Texas. PERROTE, RICHARD (percussion on Wood River [most notably, drums on "Wood River" track]) - member of the bands Contraction (1972-74), Suroît (1976-82, 1992-98), and Abbittibbi with Richard Desjardins, Francis Grandmont, Claude Vendette and Rémy Perron; percussion for Jean Rabouin, Luce Dufault. PERRY, PJ (saxophone on One Of These Days ["Strength Love And Laughter"]) - started playing professionally with father's dance band at age 14; played with Pacific Salt, Tommy Banks, The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Boss Brass, Dizzy Gillespie, Slide Hampton, Woody Shaw, Herb Spanier, The All Star Jazz Sextet, Andy Cree, Hugh Fraser, Curt Watts; recorded albums as lead musician with guests Kenny Barron, Chuck Deardorf, Victor Lewis, Bob Tildesley. Chris Andrews, Miles Hill, Claude Ranger, Mulgrew Miller, Neil Swainson. PICKELL, DAVID (keyboards on Moonlight Grocery) - has done piano and production work for Amy Sky. RICHARDSON, KIM (backup vocals on Small Cafe) - backup vocals for The Merlin Factor, Anggun, Lara Fabian, Cory Branann, Matchbox 20, Patrick Fiori, Brian Lee, Isabelle Boulay, Michael Donato, Ray Bonnneville, Roch Voisine, Rocko T. Bello. RUSU, DOUG (guitar on One Of These Days) - worked on string and horn arrangements for Tim Feehan's "Carmalita" from 1983, and re-released in 2002. SMITH, DAN (guitar on Wood River) - guitar for Mark Perry, Wyckham Porteous. STEIN, ALAN (backup vocals on One Of These Days [includes catcalls and whistles on "Jerks"]) - vocal work with Mairi MacLean; directed and co-produced with Mairi MacLean "Shooting Starts", a dramatization of the Edmonton Grads women's basketball team, which in the early 20th century was one of the most dominant professional teams in North America; is the subject of Connie's tribute song "Down To A River" from Small Cafe. STRINGER, ÉMILIE-RACHEL & THOMAS (vocals on A Duck In New York City) - children of artistic director Roland Stringer TAMBLYN, IAN (hammered dulcimer on Gentle Of Heart ["If You'd Leave Me Now"]) - a versatile songwriter, performer, playwright, producer and worldwide scientific expedition traveler(!); over a dozen solo albums including his Juno-winning debut self-titled album; plays include "Dreamwalker" and "Days In The Night Of Zephyr Fallutyn"; produced for Terry Tufts, Chris MacLean, Kim Erickson, Kathryn Briggs, Beth Ferguson, Alex Houghton, Furnace Face. TESSIER, MARCO (piano on Small Cafe) - piano for Robert Charlebois, Lara Fabian. ULRICH, SHARI (vocals on Out Of The Blue [notably harmony vocals on "Mother's Prayer"]) - born in the U.S.; formed The Pied Pumpkin String Ensemble; harmony vocals, flute, saxophone, violin for Vandy, Jo Whitley, The Hometown Band, and her solo albums; television work includes hosting "Inside Trax" and writing theme music for various shows and songs for the Canadian "Sesame Street"; is the "U" in UHF formed in 1995 with Roy Forbes and Bill Henderson; appeared in the Vancouver production of the Carol King tribute "Tapestry"; in an e-mail she sent, Ms. Ulrich recalls a profound sense of "knowing" with Connie in their fairly new roles as mothers: "...our lives were changed forever -- we knew a love so deep and profound that it dwarfed all previous experiences we'd had in our lives and in music. But also that the music was woven through it all -- and would be forever... I was very honoured to be asked to be on the record as my respect and admiration for Connie is HUGE." VERCH, APRIL (violin for @ Wood River Hall house band) - Though in her twenties, April already has five albums to her credit and countless awards and accolades for her fiddling mastery including Ontario Junior Citizen Of The Year (1994), Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Champion (1997) and Canadian Open Fiddle Champion (1998). She has toured with Tommy Hunter, Mad Pudding, and performed at The Kennedy Center, The Grand Ole Opry and at numerous concerts, festivals and workshops across North America. YAMANOUCHI, BARRY (cello on Wood River ["Wood River" track]) - Barry has been an accomplished string accompanist for The Vancouver Orpheous Male Voice Choir since 1994.
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